Chapter Four: Lockdown II
419 Words
---
POV: Lucien Kross
“And that’s all I need.”
Her voice is a match, and I feel the flame crawl up my spine. She’s too close, too calm, and for a second I can almost taste the years between us — blood, smoke, and the ache I never let myself name.
The AI hums overhead.
> “Lockdown remains active. No external communication. No exits.”
Good.
I don’t want anyone interfering.
I take a slow step toward her. “You think this is checkmate?” My tone is low, dangerous. “It’s not even your move yet.”
Her lips curve in that smirk that used to make me forget the world. “Maybe not. But I already took your king off the board, Lucien. I just haven’t told you how.”
I study her face, reading every flicker of expression. She’s baiting me, but the thing about Nyx Kade is… sometimes the bait is also the trap.
“Then show me,” I say, closing the last inch between us.
She doesn’t back away. She never does. Her breath hits my jaw, her gaze locked on mine like she’s daring me to flinch. “I will,” she murmurs. “And when I do… you’ll see exactly why I came back.”
My hand moves before I think — fingers at her chin, tilting her face up. Her skin is warm, but her eyes are arctic. “Careful, wife. You’re playing a game I invented.”
Her smile is knife-sharp. “No, Lucien. I just perfected it.”
---
POV: Nyx Kade — Present
He’s trying to hold the ground. Trying to convince himself he’s still the one in control.
I let him think that — for now.
The truth is, I came here to make him bleed. But standing here, caught in his stare, I remember why I never walked away clean the first time. Lucien Kross has always been my ruin.
And maybe… I’ve always been his.
His fingers linger at my chin a moment too long. I could bite him. I could kiss him. Both would taste like victory.
Instead, I pull back slow, letting my gaze sweep over him with deliberate insolence. “You’ll beg, Lucien. You’ll beg because you’ll have no choice.”
He watches me, unreadable, and for a heartbeat I think he’s going to prove me wrong. But then his voice drops, dark enough to vibrate through me.
“We’ll see who’s on their knees first.”
---
- Writer
